TWO senior Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leaders have dismissed speculation the state coalition met in Kuala Lumpur to discuss the uncertainty surrounding the federal government.

They distanced the bloc from the flurry of rumours that a new federal government would be formed and that GPS was linked to it.

Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department, Abdullah Saidol, told The Malaysian Insight that the meeting was “the usual meeting between the chief minister (Abang Johari Openg) and all GPS MPs before a parliament meeting”.

Parliament will convene for a month beginning March 9.

“GPS has made their stand,” said Abdullah, often seen as a spokesman of the Sarawak government.

He alluded to Abang Johari’s statement after the GPS supreme council meeting in Kuching earlier this month that the pact is not aligned to any political blocs in Peninsular Malaysia.

The chief minister was then commenting on claims that 16 GPS MPs are backing Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in a reportedly new coalition called Pakatan Nasional while the two are backing PKR president Anwar Ibrahim in what is left of Pakatan Harapan.

He said GPS is independent and whatever problems faced by political parties or groups in the peninsula “are their problem”.

Parti Rakyat Sarawak president James Masing said with so many rumours and theories on possible political happenings, “it is not safe to make any predictions”.

Masing, who is deputy chief minister, said the best for Sarawak to do right now “is to cruise on the steady ship (GPS) and watch for a possible political tsunami from Malaya”.

“Then (we) adjust our sails to ride the waves,” he told the Malaysian Insight.

Earlier today Abang Johari Openg avoided reporters after meeting with his party men at the Ritz Carlton.

GPS was among four parties which held meetings purportedly linked to the uncertainty surrounding the PH government.

Earlier Bersatu ended its six-hour meeting without Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad or other leaders talking to the media.

The PKR faction aligned to deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali is currently meeting at the Sheraton hotel in Petaling Jaya.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, on the other hand, summoned the party supreme council for a special meeting at the Putra World Trade Centre.

The meetings are being held against the backdrop of a tense PH presidential council meeting last Friday where Dr Mahathir was pressured to set a date for the transition of power.

The meeting ended with the council deciding to allow Dr Mahathir to choose when to retire but events there appeared to have damaged ties among the four coalition partners.

Apart from Bersatu, other members in PH are PKR, DAP and Amanah.

Currently, PKR has 50 MPs, DAP (42), Bersatu (26), and Amanah (11). Its associate Parti Warisan Sabah has nine MPs.

On the opposition side, Umno has 39 MPs, PAS (18) and GPS (18).

A simple majority of 112 out of the 222-seat Parliament is needed to form a government. – February 23, 2020.